Live review: Five Finger Death Punch @ the 1stBank Center

If you are from Denver and do not know who Ivan Moody is, then it’s time to expand your musical horizons.

Coloradans take great pride in claiming OneRepublic, the Fray and 3Oh!3 as our own, yet arguably one of the best frontmen in the game is flying too far under the mainstream radar — even though he has a Colorado past. But after selling more than 100,000 copies in “American Capitalist’s” first week of release, don’t expect anyone to sleep on Five Finger Death Punch (or the band’s frontman, Moody) much longer.

Every time Five Finger Death Punch rolls through town, there is an audible buzz amongst local hard rock enthusiasts. And Saturday night’s show at the 1stBank Center was no different as the Los Angeles band played a bill that included All That Remains, Hatebreed and Rains – billed as the KBPI’s Fall Brawl.

Perhaps influenced by a year in and out of Las Vegas’ famed recording studio the Hideout, FFDP brought a little bit of Sin City to their set with an oversized LED screen touting images of Vegas-style billboards, MMA clips and corporate logos—an unapologetic nod to the “American Capitalist” album and the band’s mantra that capitalizing on success and selling albums doesn’t make them a sell out.

FFDP didn’t waste any time getting to their latest single, kicking off their portion of the show with “Under and Over It.” Their set was the best of their three-album discography, including “Salvation,” “The Bleeding,” “American Capitalist,” “White Knuckles” and a cover of “Bad Company.”

Moody is known for his intense stage presence, and although he still had it in spades, he seemed a lot more playful this time around, trading in the Kevlar vest from the previous tour for a Nuggets jersey (Chris Anderson, of course) and a fresh blonde dye-job. He had an effortless rapport with the crowd. People were even urged to crowd-surf to shake his hand during “The Bleeding.”

The show ended with an encore performance of “Burn It Down” and a final “thank you” from Moody to his now completely exhausted, yet oh-so-satisfied hometown crowd.

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Paige Montgomery is a Denver-based freelance writer. Check out more of her work on Facebook.